William Gallagher
Apple's forthcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max is rumored to feature a front display that has bezels of only 1.55mm (0.06 inches), making it by far the thinnest bezel in any smartphone ever made.
Recent rumors about the iPhone 15 Pro Max have included a claim that while it may be thicker than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, it could have a slightly smaller camera bump. That claim was based on purported CAD drawings for the phone, and came via leaker "Ice Universe," who now reports that the dimensions of the phone's bezel will be record-breaking.
iPhone 15 Pro Max will break the record of 1.81mm bezel black edge held by Xiaomi 13, and we measure that its cover plate black bezel width is only 1.55 mm.S22 and S23 1.95mmiPhone 14 Pro 2.17mm pic.twitter.com/9TBrVCGSCo
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) March 17, 2023
This detail is specifically concerning the iPhone 15 Pro Max, rather than the iPhone 15 Pro. However, the iPhone 15 Pro model has recently also been claimed to have thinner bezels than its predecessors.
That previous report further described the iPhone 15 Pro Max screen as being "very beautiful," and featuring Apple Watch-style curved edges.
Andrew Orr
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
23 Comments
Is there a point when vanity overrides practicality? No current iPhone models have “fat” bezels that detract from the phone’s appearance. I personally like having at least enough bezel so 1) you can mount a phone case that protrudes enough above and around the front of the screen to protect it in a fall and 2) you can handle the phone without constantly touching the screen with your fingers.
I know the form factor of general appearance of all smartphones has converged to the point where there are very few things the different vendors can do to make their products stand out from the crowd, with one exception. The backside camera array appearance has mostly been driven by functional requirements related to optics. It would be nice if some thought could be put into making the back side a little less goofy appearing. The iPhone Pros look like a fish that’s been biologically mutated from exposure to runoff from a nuclear accident. Some consideration should be made for allowing the phone to be laid flat without wobbling if you don’t put it in a big rubbery teletubbies case.
Some balance needs to be reached on the overall design. The front of the iPhone is looking pretty darn good these days. Apple’s investments have paid off. Instead of focusing on minutiae like razor thin bezels on the front, assign someone from the design team to take a look at the back side of the iPhone and come up with a way to unravel that mess.
Phones are just about small iterative changes by now, with the camera being the most interesting one for users.
I have the 13 Pro and I usually skip at least 1 generation. Curious if phones ‘help’ RealityOS or whether their XR devices will run autonomously.
As they learn more about how we hold and use phones, bezels get thinner. Manufacturers of accessories also learn how to make them with these thinner bezels. It’s not a problem. How does one hold a Samsung phone with curved screen edges? How do manufacturers of holders for those phones make them? Apple won’t have that problem, so I’m looking forward to it.
as far as thickness goes, that’s not a problem for me. I also don’t mind the camera bump. A few mm one way or the other doesn’t matter to me. I’m far more concerned at how extra thickness will help the camera. To me, that’s far more important.
I totally dislike the idea that Apple will differentiate new technologies between the Pro and Pro Max models. If that were to come to pass, then Apple should call its two high end models the Almost Pro and the Pro Max.
My wife gets my last year's iPhone and has gotten to liking the iPhone ** Pro Max models as the screens are larger and thus easier to read. I get the new one every year. One of her girls get the drop off the chain phone.....